When it comes to the metal indium, many people may feel unfamiliar with it, but in fact, our daily life is inseparable from it. The simplest example is that the touch screen of a mobile phone uses the metal indium.

Moreover, indium is a very rare metal, more valuable than gold. Such a precious resource, China alone accounts for 72% of the world's reserves!

What is the rare metal "indium"?

Indium has a silver-white luster, and its melting point is 156.6°C. Its chemical properties determine that it has very strong plasticity and ductility, such as being able to deform at will and being pressed into extremely thin metal sheets.

At the same time, indium's superconducting performance, lubricating performance, wear resistance, and light transmission are also stronger than those of general metal elements. It can also react with various organic compounds such as oxygen and nitrogen, and therefore is widely used in the nuclear power industry, electronic battery industry, medical field, and other major fields, making it an indispensable resource.

Indium was discovered in 1863 by the German Ferdinand Reich and Theodor Richter. They discovered a magical blue light while studying zinc ore, and thus determined that there was an unknown element hidden in the zinc ore. However, the two scholars were worried about their achievements being stolen, and never showed the true face of indium to the world.

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Later, through continuous exploration, people finally found that sphalerite is one of the carriers of indium, and then popularized the true face of indium. After having a true definition, scientists have successively discovered other carriers and ore deposits of indium, and since then, humans have started the mining, refining, and application of indium.Indium is an extremely rare metallic element, with a content of 0.1ppm in the Earth's crust, and it is very dispersed, with no rich ores. Therefore, in nature, indium is mostly associated with non-ferrous metal sulfide minerals, such as zinc sulfide ore, galena, copper sulfide ore, and so on. Due to its scarce production, lack of rich ores, and wide range of applications, it has been listed as a critical mineral by China, the European Union, the United States, and Japan.

According to statistics, the current estimated global reserves of indium are only 50,000 tons, and only 50% of them are exploitable. Among this 50%, no independent indium ores have been found, and it can only be obtained through industrial purification, with a final total of about 15,000 tons.

In the global distribution of indium, China's proven reserves are 8,000 tons, accounting for 72.7% of the world's total; followed by Peru with proven reserves of 360 tons, accounting for 3.3% of the global reserves; the United States with 280 tons, accounting for 2.5% of the global reserves; Canada with 150 tons, accounting for 1.4% of the global reserves; and Russia with 80 tons, accounting for 0.7% of the global reserves.

These five countries are currently the ones with clearer data, and it is evident that China has a very large advantage in reserves, ranking first in the world.

In China, indium metal is mainly distributed in 15 provinces, with the higher proportions being Yunnan Province at 40%, Guangxi 31.4%, Inner Mongolia 8.2%, Qinghai 7.8%, and Guangdong 7%. The proven reserves of these five provinces account for 94.4% of the national total.

China's indium production enterprises have reached more than 10, mainly distributed in Liuzhou, Guangxi, Zhuzhou, Hunan, and Shaoguan, Guangdong. The abundant reserves and mature industrial chain have made China the world's largest country in terms of indium reserves and production.

What are the application fields of "indium"?Indium is classified as a critical mineral by several major economies, and it must play an indispensable role in national economic development. What are the specific values?

Firstly, it is widely used in the semiconductor industry. Indium is mainly used in the semiconductor industry to manufacture high-speed devices, optoelectronic devices, microwave devices, etc., and can also be used as a dopant for the production of silicon-based semiconductor devices.

For example, the transparent conductive film at the top of high-performance solar cells is made of indium, which can transmit current and reduce reflection. Similarly, the transparent conductive layer on flat panel displays, thin-film transistor electrodes, etc., help the display to achieve high-definition screen display and richer colors.

Sensors also cannot be separated from indium. With sensors in the display, touch screens can be realized. The role of indium is to make your touch screen more stable and smooth, making you feel more sensitive when using the touch screen.

Secondly, there is the application in the field of aerospace. Indium is used in aerospace on the one hand by forming indium alloys with high strength, ductility, and corrosion resistance through multi-alloy mixing, which are laid on the inner walls of space stations or other places as lining materials. There are many such alloy applications, and indium is also called "alloy vitamin".

On the other hand, it is used as a coating on the canopy of fighter jets. This coating can prevent radar wave reflection, preventing the enemy from using radar waves to penetrate the canopy to find the position of our fighter jets, which is the stealth function we often talk about. The coating of our country's J-20 adopts metallic indium.

In addition, there is the application in the electronics industry. In addition to the aforementioned touch screens, indium in the electronics industry can also be used as a solder or coating in electronic connectors and solder joints, so that electronic products can have good electrical conductivity and connection reliability. Similarly, because of its good thermal conductivity, indium can also be used to manufacture heat dissipators for electronic products, maintaining the stability of electronic equipment operation, and so on.Indium also plays a significant role in the medical and research fields. In the medical field, drugs labeled with "Indium-111" can be used for radiodiagnosis and therapy. For example, indium compounds are used in the manufacturing of X-ray and gamma-ray detectors, which play a significant role in medical diagnostics.

Indium has a strong compatibility with biological organisms, so it is also used as a biological marker in various research fields. It can be safely used to label biomolecules, which is of great significance for the study of biological processes.

In summary, indium plays an important role in many fields and is a very scarce metal resource, especially in the electronics industry. With the development of technology, the application fields of indium are also constantly changing and expanding.

What is the significance of "indium" resources for our country?

Our country attaches great importance to the utilization rate of resources, the application and development of resources. As a country with large reserves and production of indium, this metal element is also of great significance to our country.

Firstly, it is of great significance to the development of our country's industry. Our country has the largest reserves of indium in the world and is also the largest producer of indium. Indium has formed a mature development industry chain in our country, which has a profound impact on industrial development.

At the same time, indium is also related to the electronics industry, semiconductor industry, aerospace industry, etc., which are all hot industries in the international market. Therefore, indium is also a pillar resource for the development of our country in important industrial fields.Next is the issue involving technological innovation in our country. In addition to its application in the semiconductor industry, indium also has tremendous potential in quantum computing. We all know that with the development of AI intelligence, the huge data centers that support its development behind the scenes require powerful computing power.

Our country is also continuously exploring the establishment of large data centers. Quantum computing, as a highly complex and cutting-edge field, is being continuously explored. In the future, the element indium may provide application possibilities in various aspects such as the manufacturing of quantum bits, quantum superconducting materials, quantum device interconnections, and sensors.

Our country plays an important role in the international trade of indium. By managing and reasonably developing indium resources, our country will continuously improve the efficiency of indium utilization, enhance the production and purity of indium. With the dual guarantee of quality and quantity, our country also has a stronger say in the import and export of indium, enhancing our country's bargaining chips in international competition, which is extremely important for the current tense international situation.

Indium is an indispensable strategic resource for our country. Since indium has important applications in national defense and military equipment as well as in important economic fields, it is very important for our country to ensure the supply and stable acquisition of indium, which is an important strategic resource related to our country's industrial safety and international strategic planning.

Conclusion

As an important metal element owned by our country, indium is indispensable for both our country's own development and the complex international competition. As the world's largest holder of indium reserves, our country has the responsibility and obligation to develop and produce indium well, manage the allocation of indium resources, and innovate in the application of technology.